Combination reclining and rocking chair having a fixed base and track



COMBINATION RECLINING AND ROCKING CHAIR HAVING A FIXED BASE AND TRACK Filed Oct. 17. 1947 g- 1952 D. F. CALDEMEYER 2,606,594v

FIL l- INVENTOR. DANIEL F. CALDEMEYER ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 12, 1952 coMmNLi'rroN mic CHAIR. HAVING TRACK LINING AND ROCKING FIXED BASE AND Daniel F. 'Caldeineyer, Evansville, Ind. Application October 17, 1947', Serial No. 780,326

In the past many chairs have been made uti lizing the general principle ofliaving a base on which the seat portion'or the chair might rock My invention utilizes this general principle or a' rocking chair designed to have a fixed or permanent base having a track for the rockers, but also providing-a mechanism whereby the seat and back portion of "the chair may be adjusted toiany desired reclining position and held there by special mechanism:

An object of my invention is to provide a chair which is adapted to be rockedon fixed tracks and also to be securely held in any adjusted position of recline. 6

A further object,is,to.providea, rocking chair which may be periodically changed from its condition as a rocker, to a condition as a fixed chair, fixed in any-desired position of recline or slant. 6

A still further object is to provide a chair which may be adjusted in a fixed position, or be allowed to be rocked freely on tracks.

A stillfurther object is to provide an adjustable rockingand/ or straight chair having a cam supported-rack bar which maybe readil-yxadjusted to hold or release the chair so that the same may be placed in a desired fixed position or be allowed to rock freely.

In the figures:

Fig. l is a side elevation partly broken away;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail in vertical cross section through the recline adjustment mechanism; and

Fig. 4 isa fragmentary adjustment mechanism.

The chair I is relatively conventional in its general form and is adapted to be supported by a fixed base 12 which is constructed, preferably, with two substantially parallel rocker runners which are provided with suitable tracks H on the upper surfaces thereof, all of which will be more fully explained hereinafter.

The seat portion of the chair I0 is provided with rockers l6 spaced apart in such manner that they will regularly contact the tracks ll of the legs l2. These rockers 16 are attached to the seat portion of the chair H1 in any suitable manner such as by bolting, cementing, gluing, dowelling, screwing, or the like, to the frame of the chair seat. 7

The base of the chair seat has secured thereto aplurality of suitable coil springs 18 attached to the rocker runners and rocker rails. By virplan view of the recline 3 Claims. (01. -72) tue of'the springs l8 the rockers l3 of the chair frame are maintainedi proper position so that they will continuallycontact'and remain on the tracks l4.

The legs l2 are spaced apart by suitable cross members, not shown, but including the cross member 20 to which is bolted or otherwise socured a bracket 22. The chair seat likewise is provided with a plurality of cross members, one

of which is shown and is identified by reference character 24. To the cross member 24, a bracket 281s securedby bolting, riveting, orotherwise attaching the same to the approximate center thereof.- i

I provide a rack bar 28 which is pivotally attached to the bracket22 by means of a conventional pivot pin 3ll.' At aconvenient point on the rack bar 28 I secure a conventional tension'spring 32 which is suitably attached to the main framework of the chair lllin: the approximate center of the forward edge or end thereof. With this construction the tension of the spring 32. tends to draw the rack bar 28 continually toward the front edge of the chair in. Under this tension the-front edge of thein contact with a cam 34 secured on a transverse rod 36 which extends from a pivot point within the bracket 26 at one end thereof to a point outside of the chair Hi. This rod 36 is conveniently bent upwardly, relative to the floor upon which chair is' adapted to be placed, and is provided at the end thereof with a nob or handle 38. The cam 34 is keyed or secured to the rod 36 by means of a secant cut in the rod (as viewed in crosssection) and the cam so that as the rod is turned the cam is turned thereby.

By moving the handle 38 toward the front end of the chair (in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2) the rod 36 is revolved a fraction of a turn and carries therewith the cam 34 turning the high lobe on the cam into the position in which it is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. When the cam is in this position the rack bar 28 will be springurged toward the forward end of the chair by the tension spring 32, thus releasing the rack teeth of the bar from pin 40 riveted, welded or otherwise suitably secured to the bracket 26. By moving the handle 38 toward the rear of the chair, or in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, the cam 34 will be moved so that the high lobe thereof assumes the position in which it is shown in Fig. 3. In this position the teeth of the rack bar 28 will engage the pin 40 and maintain that engagement so that rack' bar 28 is continually the transverse bar 24 may not be moved either up or down relative to the transverse bar 20.

In operation, an individual sitting in the chair l8 may adjust the chair to a desired position of inclination, either forward or backward, by moving the handle 38 toward the front of the chair to release the rack bar 28 from engagement with the pin 48. Aftera suitable inclination of the chair has been achieved the handle 38 is moved toward the back of the chair, or in a direction opposite to thereby turning the rod 36, and the cam 34, to a position forcing the teeth of the rack bar 28v into engagement with the pin 40 to hold the rack bar thus engaged so that the distance between the transverse member 28 and the transverse member 24 can be neither increased nor decreased, Thus the inclination of the chair will be maintained until it is again desired to change its position, and/or the angle of inclination. At such time, the handle 38 is moved forwardly (in the direction ofthe arrow in-Figrz) releasing the rack bar from engagementwith the pin 48; I

It will be understood that if desired, the rack bar 28 may be left in its released position so that the chair may be used as a rocking chair.

I claim-:

1. A chair including a base presenting an upwardly facing track structure, a seat having an arcuate rocker structure depending therefrom and movably engaging said track structure,

means maintaining said rocker structure in contact with said track structure, a pin secured to said seat and extending transversely of the longitudinal axis thereof, a rack-bar provided with a plurality of teeth on one edge, said rack-bar extending upwardly from said base, means tending to yieldably withdraw therack-bar from contact with said. pin, and means pivotally carried by said seat and engaging the rack-bar and operable to cause the same to receive the pin selectively in spaces formed between the teeth.

2. A chair including a, base presenting an upwardly facing track structure, a seat having an arcuate rocker. structur depending therefromthe direction of the arrow in Fig. 2,

and movably engaging said track structure, means maintaining said rocker structure in contact with said track structure in overlaying relation with predetermined portions thereof, a pin secured to said seat and extending transversely of the longitudinal axis thereof, a rack-bar provided with a plurality of teeth on one edge, said rack-bar extending upwardly from said base, means tending" to yieldablywithdraw the rackbar from contact with said pin, cam means pivotally carried by the seat and engaging the rack bar and operable to cause the same to receive the pin s'electivelyinspac'es formed between the teeth.

3. A chair including a base having oppositely disposed substantially parallel side portions, each presenting an upwardly facing track structure, a

brace extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of the'base' and connecting said sides, a seat having an arcuate rocker structure depending therefrom and movably engaging said track structure, a pin secured tosaid seat and extending transversely of the longitudinal axis thereof, a rack-bar pivotal-1y mounted on said base and extending upwardly therefrom, said rack-bar having a pluralityof teethselectively engageable with said pin, means tending'to yieldably withdraw the rack-bar from contact with said pin, and means pivotally carried by the seat and engaging the rack-bar and operable to cause the same to receive the pinselectively in spaces formed between the teeth,-

l DANiEL FL CALDEMEYER. REFERENCES CITED file of this patent; v

UNITED "STATES PATENTS The following references are .of record in the 4 Number Name Date Re. 11,906 Haimon Apr. 16, 1901 60,978 Winchester Jan. 1, 1867 343,654 Wilt June 15, 1886 380,909 Melchior Apr. 10, 1888 408,236 Heine V Aug. 6, 1889 Ingells 

